#Mypathtolaw: understanding access to the legal profession through a ricoeurian analysis

IF 0.9 Q3 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Research in Post-Compulsory Education Pub Date : 2022-07-03 DOI:10.1080/13596748.2022.2076058

Ruth Flanagan, Anna Mountford-Zimdars, Matthew Channon

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT We investigated the narratives of enablers and barriers to entry into law communicated through 650 UK tweets posted under the twitter hashtag #mypathtolaw in 2018. Law students, solicitors, barristers and legal academics used this hashtag for sharing their personal paths to a legal career. We use Ricoeur’s theory of dialogues between the archaeology (past) and the teleology (future) of the self. This has previously been applied to legal ethics, but never before to understanding access to the legal profession. Our findings show that tweeters had a strong narrative of agency and ability to succeed against adversity – perhaps underplaying structural barriers. Notable through its absence is the reference to structural barriers, such as class, school, and university type and the converse individual narratives of perseverance. We find that poor or discouraging careers advice had been a significant barrier. We conclude with recommendations for schools, universities and the legal profession around diversifying the narratives used to showcase legal careers and suggest that universities engaging in training for careers advisors may further widen participation.

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#我的法律:通过利科分析来理解进入法律职业的途径

我们调查了2018年在推特标签# myypathtolaw下发布的650条英国推文中关于进入法律行业的推动者和障碍的叙述。法律系学生、律师、大律师和法律学者使用这个标签来分享他们走向法律职业的个人道路。我们使用利科关于自我的考古学(过去)和目的论(未来)之间对话的理论。这之前已经应用于法律伦理，但以前从未用于理解进入法律职业的途径。我们的研究结果表明，推特用户有很强的能动性和战胜逆境的能力——可能低估了结构性障碍。值得注意的是，它没有提到结构性障碍，比如阶级、学校和大学类型，以及相反的个人毅力叙事。我们发现，糟糕或令人沮丧的职业建议一直是一个重大障碍。最后，我们为学校、大学和法律界提供了一些建议，以多样化展示法律职业的叙述，并建议从事职业顾问培训的大学可以进一步扩大参与范围。

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来源期刊

Research in Post-Compulsory Education EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-

CiteScore

1.30

自引率

14.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Throughout the world, there is a growing awareness of the significance of vocational and post-compulsory education and training systems. The majority of countries are working hard to develop their provision, recognising the importance of post-compulsory education in providing educated and skilled people in sufficient numbers at appropriate levels to assist economic and social development. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, sponsored by the United Kingdom"s Further Education Research Association (FERA), recognises the need for more international research and analysis and the generation of relevant theory in order to identify policy needs and trends as well as priorities in this growing area.